Dr. Guillotine: The Eccentric Exploits of an Early Scientist

Lom, Herbert

ISBN 10: 1856191117 / ISBN 13: 9781856191111

Published by Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd, London, 1992

About this Item

1992 first edition hardback in near fine condition. Scarce. No marks to pages, clean, a little tanned from age. Tight binding. Flawless black cloth boards with silver spine lettering. In its original, unclipped dst wrapper with some rubbing to top edge, a few small marks to faces, otherwise fine. Items are dispatched the same or the following working day. Please note our excellent customer feedback. Seller Inventory # 007174

Bibliographic Details

Title: Dr. Guillotine: The Eccentric Exploits of an...

Publisher: Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd, London

Publication Date: 1992

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

Explores the French Revolution from the points of view of Joseph Ignace Guillotin, inventor of the machine; Charlotte Corday, an idealist eager to help the cause of the revolutionaries; and Jean-Paul Marat, an impotent yet power-hungry autocrat

From Publishers Weekly:

This first novel is more of a comedy than an attempt at serious historical fiction. Set in France during the Reign of Terror, the book begins with the proposition that the world is a "loony bin with undercurrents of occasional sanity." The author illustrates this theme with the figure of Dr. Guillotin, a humanist whose attempts to find a painless method of execution provide the Revolutionaries with a means of killing their opponents en masse. Guillotin develops relationships with two other historic characters, Jean Paul Marat, leader of the Revolution, and Charlotte Corday, Marat's assassin and the object of Marat's as well as Guillotin's desire. Describing the events leading to Marat's death, Lom, an actor best known for his portrayal of Chief Inspector Dreyfuss in the Pink Panther films, includes imaginary scenes with other major figures. Marie Antoinette, for example, says, "My sense of humor will be the death of me." This light, animated touch distracts the reader from Lom's frequent failings as a novelist, his cliches and his poor pacing. Although it lacks dramatic focus, the story engages the reader with a sequence of wryly amusing episodes.
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